Light in the Dark
by Linwe Melwasul
Summary: Greg takes care of a supposed rape victim who has had several members of her family murdered. Only thing is, she might not be telling the whole truth...please R&R, flames allowed. CHAPTER 5 UP!
1. Darkness Then a Light

**Light in the Dark**

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything of CSI, characters or anything. Ok, with the exception of Ahmaryllis._

_a/n: First story, go me! A recent review noted a couple inconsistencies in the story so I either fixed them or changed them a little to do with later plot revelations. _

It was another busy afternoon at the CSI headquarters in Las Vegas. People running around examining DNA, comparing fingerprints and answering telephones. Only one thing was amiss. All the CSI's- Grissom, Sara, Nick, Warrick, Catherine and the CSI in-training, Greg- were there. For the past two days there had been no crimes-no crimes on their shift anyways. No robberies, no murders, no suicides or anything. Something was bound to happen, it was only a matter of time.

Greg stared at the walls in the break room and contemplated random thoughts. _They shouldn't call it the night shift._ he thought absently. _After all, our shift begins at noon and ends at 2 in the morning. mind you, I guess it could be called the 'night shift' considering that it's in the afternoon..._ his reverie was broken as he watched Sara get up and go into Grissom's office. _I wonder what that's for?_ All the CSI's thought.

"Gris, I'm bored." Sara complained. "It's been too long to go without working. I need, I think we all need, something to do." Grissom looked at Sara with a pained expression. Even he needed some excitement. Surprisingly, he was missing Greg's loud music that blared whenever he worked. There had been nothing for the rambonctious lab tech. November 7 the calender said. Grissom sighed once again.

He was about to say something when the phone rang. Grissom quickly picked it up.

"Grissom, CSI lab." he listened intently and took hasty notes. When he hung up, he went straight to the break room, with Sara in tow, to where the rest of the CSI's waited with bored indifference. "Alright, we have a rape and quadruple murder case. The person raped a 19 year-old girl then killed her parents and two older brothers. Warrick, Sara, Catherine and Nick, divide yourselves between the four bodies. Grab your kits and head towards the vans. I'll deal with the technical stuff. Oh, and Greg? You're coming too."

"Great! And what exactly am I doing?"

Gissom stared at him and simply said "Baby-sitting duty."

Geg opened his mouth to protest, but thought better of it and silently followed his boss out of the room and to the vans.

As usual, the crime scene was a mass of reporters, policemen, paramedics, curious neighbours, flashing lights that illuminated the night sky and lots and lots of yellow tape.

"You know, all the yellow tape and put me off the color yellow." Greg said absently to Warrick. The latter looked at Greg, then to his shirt which happened to be sporting bright yellow hawaiian flowers, then back to Greg's face. He chose to say nothing.

"Greg!" Nick beckoned him over. Greg sighed and slowly made his way over to his friend. "Know what you're doing?" Nick asked.

"Baby-sitting duty, whatever that means. Most likely the neighbours' squabbling kid."

"Close, but no cigar. You're watching 19 year-old Ahmaryllis Smial. The one who got raped. She's in shock and won't speak or respond to her name."

"Probably what the raper called her. Interesing name though."

"I agree. It's taken from amaryllis which is a name of a flower."

Greg cocked an eyebrow. "And you would know the names of flowers...why?"

Nick got tongue tied and began flustering his reasons but instead switched back to the topic of the case. "Disregarding flowers, Ahmaryllis is the most important thing right now."

"Coming from flower boy over here."

Nick gave Greg a dirty look but continued filling him in the facts. "She also won't let anyone, especially males, come near her. She's over by that tree, the one near the bird bath. Rather unforunate that it happened today. Records say that it's her 20th birthday in two days."

Greg looked over and saw a figure sitting against the big oak tree, tracing the intricate pattern on the bird bath.

"I take it you sent me because of my dashing good looks?"

Nick smiled. Greg never failed to amuse him. "There's another thing that I want to tell you. Ahmaryllis is acting...oddly. She won't go with the workers from the rape shelter. She got defensive by pulling away and wouldn't follow them. Also, she isn't displaying the normal signs of a rape victim. Usually they're crying and screaming but she's just in shock. Ahmaryllis is also being a bit of a pain."

"A pain? How?"

"Well, she keeps shooting rocks and bits of dirt at passing officers. It's just not normal for a rape victim to do that."

"Point taken. She's not displaying the usual signs of being raped, except for not letting males come near her, and being a pain by flinging objects from the crime scene. I'll go talk to her."

Greg fixed his hair, did a quick breath check and went over to Ahmaryllis. She was a pretty little thing with intense dark blue eyes and long black hair that, to Greg's delight and probably her parents horror, was streaked a vibrant shade of orange. She was wearing stained sweat pants and an overly large 'I Love Las Vegas' t-shirt. Greg figured that they were someone else's and the previous owner obviously didn't want them. She looked like a scared 5 year-old child, which was normal as she was still deep in shock.

There was something else that caught his attention. The records said that she was almost twenty, but she didn't look it. In fact, she looked like she was twenty-five. Something about this case was wierd, but Greg couldn't place his finger on it. Something was wierd indeed.

He sat down about two feet away from Ahmaryllis. She made a move like she was going to shuffle away from him but instead looked Greg up and down. He seemed alright. This stranger didn't try to get close or ask ucomfortable questions or offer her unwanted assistance. In fact, he was kind of cute with his crazy hair, screaming Hawaiian shirt and his kind, caring face. Ahmaryllis decided to stay where she was.

"Um, my name's Greg, Greg Sanders, official Lab Techie at the CSI lab. Is there any name that you would like to be called? I mean, Nick said that you won't respond to your real name so..." Greg trailed off and noticed that Ahmaryllis' face, already red and blotchy, was becoming more so as she began to silently cry. He dug in his pant pockets and came up with a Kleenex for the girl. He offered it to her and a fine hand with bright green nail polish came out to accept it. She blew her nose and was thinking about where to deposit it. "I can take it if you want." Greg offered, but Ahmaryllis had something else in mind. He watched and wondered what the girl was up to.

Ahmaryllis rolled the Kleenex up into a loose ball and dunked it in the bird bath. She squeezed most of the extra water out of it and admired her handiwork. Greg realized what she had made and smiled. A spitball. Dry enough enough to fly straight without being weighed down, but wet enough to soak the victims' neck and clothes. She took careful aim and threw it right at Nick.

Said CSI jumped as the Kleenex hit him in the neck and after fishing it out of his jacket, looked at the direction of whence it came. Greg pointed at Ahmaryllis who had a ghost of a smile on her lips. Greg was starting to like this kid.

Eventually, Grisom gave the order for all CSI personnel to head back to the lab- Ahmaryllis included. Once there, they figured out what to do with her.

"We would send her to a relatives house but there's no Smials' in Las Vegas, Nevada or anywhere in the United States." Grissom said

"We can bring her the rape shelter. They can deal with her until she can go out and find a place to live." Sara suggested.

Nick shook his head. "We already had people come to try and take her but Ahmaryllis refused. Anyways, she has nowhere to go after that. We checked her records and found that she was living at home with no car, no other house and no enrolement in university or college."

"I did a quick check of her emails and there has been nothing incoming or outgoing for weeks." Catherine said, "She wasn't talking to anyone from where she used to live. And speaking of that, the Smials' just recently moved from New York City. I don't think there's anywhere else for her to go."

There was an uncomfortable silence as everyone tried to avert each others eyes. Greg spoke up.

"She could stay with one of us. I mean, she can't go anywhere else. Unless it's against the regulations or whatever. I think it's a good idea."

Grissom massaged his temples. _Why do all the hard cases end up night shift? _ he thought. "Alright. Since this case has special circumstances, the way we'll deal with this will have to be a bit out the ordinary. You guys decide between yourselves who'll take her for this night and this night only." He paused and then added, "Unless other circumstances arise."

"I think either Catherine or Sara should take her." Warrick said. "After all, they are girls."

"I would love to take her, but I'm not sure how she would deal with Lindsay." Catherine said. All heads turned to Sara.

"I...uh...take care of Ahmaryllis? I don't think I could...." She trailed off.

"Greg." A voice said. Everyone turned to see that Ahmaryllis had spoken at last.

"You want to stay with Greg?" Warrick asked, somewhat surprised. Ahmaryllis stared at her shoes and nodded. "Greg? What do you think?" Greg looked dumb-struck. He had been volunteered for baby-sitting duty, and now he had a kid with the mind of a ten year-old on his hands! What was this world coming to?

"Sure, why not. I'll give her space. Actually, I don't feel comfortable about leaving her alone in the house and the shift only just started a few hours ago." Greg checked the clock which read 8.28. "on second thought, it started eight hours ago. But there's still evidence that needs to be analyzed..." he trailed off on his pointless arguing.

"Greg, take leave for the night. I'll call you later. Take Ahmaryllis to your place. Let her sleep, watch TV and do whatever. Don't worry, you'll get paid for tonight. We can deal without you for now." Greg was surprised by this unexpected sympathy from none other then Grissom.

"Ok, Ahmaryllis, let's go." They went out to Greg's car and the he drove them home, Metallica blaring to keep Ahmaryllis awake and to annoy the neighbours.


	2. Cocopuffs and Random Thoughts

**Chapter 2**

_(a/n- alot of this chapter was written when I was supposed to be working on a project. And sorry for the delay. I've had writers block. Gah. Plus, with recent updates, there are a couple of sort of obvious hints about later plot things. I love suspense even if I can't write it. And if anyone would like to be a beta-reader, some one who checks for mistakes and reviews the chapter, please contacts me via email which is in my info. thanks and hope you enjoy!)_

Greg led Ahmaryllis inside. She took a long look at his home and decided that she liked it. Posters were tacked in the walls haphazardly and everything was, for lack of better words, everywhere. It was rather disorganized, much like Greg himself. She swore that she saw a sock on the ceiling fan, but didn't bother to check it out. Ahmaryllis was very much reminded of her own room when she had it her way. Her mother would inadvertly freak and spend five hours trying to clean the place up. The memory of her mother brought stinging tears to Ahmaryllis' eyes, but she wouldn't let them fall. No, for the sake of herself and for the man who was taking care of her, she wouldn't.

"Well, it's not much, but it's my place. I don't suppose you have any clothes so you can go raid my closet and find some. I think my shirts will fit, but I think you should get a belt." Ahmaryllis nodded and went down the hall. She went left and a minute later came back and went right towards Greg's room. Greg watched her with interest and then began thinking about how he was going to take care of her.

_I wonder what I should do with her tomorrow. Grissom sadi that he would call and when he does, I'll ask what I should do with her. Actually, that's not a bad idea. But on another note, Nick said she won't respond to her name. I'll ask her what she wants to be called for now and then I'll make dinner. _The last thought was off beat, but all conversation is better on a full stomach.

Greg walked into the kitchen and contemplated on what he was going to make. There wasn't much food, with the exception of half a carton of eggs, some red juice, lots of coffee, carrots and the all-important coco-puffs. _Ah yes, _Greg thought with a smile, _coco-puffs. A staple for any diet._ He was glad that no one at the lab knew about his secret addiction or he would be teased mercilessly. Given his social status at the moment, that would not be a good thing. He grabbed for a box of coco-puffs and two sets of bowls and spoons. No sooner had he finished making 'dinner' did Ahmaryllis appear. She had changed into a long grey t-shirt and another, cleaner, pair of sweat pants.

Dinner passed in a comfortable silence. Ahmaryllis ate 5 bowls of cereal, coming close Gregs's personal record. He was clearing off the table when the phone rang.

"Greg Sanders speaking."

"Greg, it's Grissom. I'm calling about Ahmaryllis."

"Ok, what do you want to know? I'm not exactly the expert on her, but she does have a good taste in food. Hasn't spoken a word since we arrived."

"Lovely, Greg, but is she doing alright? Also, we were wondering what she would liked to be called. I'm not a person buff, but it isn't nice to call someone 'you' or touch them on the shoulder to get their attention. Especially in her case."

Greg nodded and chewed on his finger nail. "I'll ask her. Hold on a sec." He put the phone on the table and went over to Ahmaryllis. "Hey, we- the people at the lab and I- were wondering what you would like to be called. As in what name you would like to be known by." Ahmaryllis nodded and thought for a second.

"Katya." she said. Greg nodded and went back to the phone.

"Katya." he said to Grissom.

"Katya? That sounds...nice."

"Yep. And I think she's doing alright. Eating alot and not hiding in a corner. After all, I'm only a lab techie. Not an expert on people. Anything else you want to know?"

"One more thing. Can you bring her to the lab tomorrow? The CSI's want to meet her and it would be better if she's around people."

"Ok. Let me ask." he covered the mouth piece and half-hollered, "Katya, do you want to go to the lab tomorrow with me? You can do what ever you want. You'll find it interesting."

"Ok. Can I stay with you?"

"Sure kid, whatever you want." Greg uncovered the reciever. "She said yes, and a whole sentence. Is that good?"

"I think it is. Good night Greg."

"Oh, and one more thing. didn't you say that non CSI personnel weren't permitted to be inside the lab?"

"Remember what I said earlier, Greg. Special cases have special circumstances."

"Oh, ok. Good night Grissom." Greg hung up and turned to Ahmaryllis. "That was my boss. You saw him earlier. Now, what are we going to do with you?"

"Bed?" Ahmaryllis asked inquisitively. Greg snapped his fingers. That's what he had forgotten to do. Now he would would have to find somewhere for her to sleep.

"Ok, um, you can sleep in my room and I could crash on the couch or you could sleep on the couch and I can have my room or you can sleep on the floor. I don't have a cot although my friends have commented that the bathtub is also good for sleeping in." The last comment was dry but it brought the corners of Ahmaryllis' mouth up. Greg had still to see her real smile, but he suspected that it was stunning.

"I'll sleep on the couch." Ahmaryllis said quietly. She was still nervous about talking and was even more nervous about the next day where there would be all those people...but that was tomorrow.

Greg smiled and went to one of the closets. Blankets...towels...soap...shoes...shampoo..._where where those pillows?_ He wondered as he kept searchingA jacket...a box of cookies that expired a couple months ago,_ still good._ Greg noted their existence for later when he would get hungry. A sock...and he finally found a couple of pillows at the back hidden under some ugly blanket. He brought them to Ahmaryllis who began setting her makeshift bed up. He watched her for a second then turned and went to bed.

He lay there and stared at the far wall. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fall asleep. To make matters worse, his thoughts kept turning back to Ahmaryllis. No matter what, she stayed on his mind.

_She's such a nice kid...at least what I've seen of her...pretty...has nice name...amaryllis' are flowers...I like that name...the 'h' makes it more nice...still doesn't look twenty...likes coco-puffs....I think I like her...as in _like_ her...won't tell Grissom...he yells at CSIs for getting involved with victims...getting emotionally attached to them...having empathy...not good for me...want to be CSI...wonder if Ahmaryllis would like to be one...show her all the lab equipment tomorrow...hopefully the others like her...I like her...maybe she'll want to be a lab technician like me...would be nice...me and her in the lab...she likes my music...we could play loud music...dance around the place...find out DNA...go out on cases together...would be nice...very nice... something's not right though....the case is wierd...maybe we're missing information...or maybe someone's hiding something....hiding...hiding..._and Greg drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

Outside on the couch Ahmaryllis had difficulty keeping calm. She would toss and turn and worry about the next day. Eventually, she stared at the ceiling and let random thoughts drift through her mind.

_I like Greg. He'll probably actually call me Katya. I wonder where that name come from. It doesn't matter since I've always liked it. But back to Greg. He's really cute. Cuter than those 'popular' guys at school who think they're really macho. Dumb macho freaks. They aren't smart like Greg. They've been hit in the head with too many footballs. Why are popular guys always on the football team? It's wierd. Then the girls who hang out with them are cheerleaders. And they're blond. Glad I'm not a blond or I'd probably be a cheerleader right now. Eww. I find girls are really into stereotypes or whatever they're called. That's why my friends are guys, even though they're all off at college where I should be. Hm, wonder what tomorrow's going to be like. Hope scary people don't ask me wierd questions or prod me with instruments. Or make me take medical tests. I hope they don't find out about...No, that would not be good. I just _ Ahmaryllis lingered on the thought of coco-puffs and passed into the warm embrace of blackness.


	3. Arriving at the Lab

**Chapter 3**

_**A/N- Back by popular demand! The ongoing saga of Ahmaryllis. The story does go somewhere eventually. I promise, it gets better after this chapter. It's more a bridge chapter. I need a link between what i wrote and what i wrote about already which is stuff for the later part of the story. Or something like that.**_

_**Anyways, a little warning about a part where Ahmaryllis imagines things. It has to do with rape-style things. If you're touchy about that kind of stuff,I can't say i didn't warn you. And for anyone who's confused about it, she's imagining it. Think Stephen King-style delusions.**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own CSI, Greg Sanders ( i wish i did) or anything except Ahmaryllis. Oh, and my candy**_

It was 11 o'clock in the morning when Greg rolled out of bed. He wondered why he felt so refreshed when the memories of last night came back to him. The murders, the case, Ahmaryllis coming back with him and Grissom letting him off early so he could have a nice long sleep. He got dressed and went to wake Ahmaryllis up. Not to his surprise, Ahmaryllis was already awake and dressed. She was channel flipping and he heard her mutter about too many decorating shows on at this time.

"Hey, Katya. Have a nice sleep?" She looked up and half-smiled.

"Not bad. How about you?" Greg nodded and proceeded to make his own breakfast. To his delight, someone had already started the coffee. He paused suddenly as a new revelation came to him. Where had Ahmaryllis had found the coffee?

"Hey...where'd you find the coffee? I thought that I had hid this blend." Sadly enough, Greg hid his best blend, Columbian Dark, in case some coffee-stealing freak broke in and took all his coffee. Once, it had actually happened and the jerk took most of his roasts. Greg was not a happy guy that day.

Ahmaryllis grinned evilly. "Behind the garbage bags under the sink. You might want to move it because the icky smell from your plumbing will seep in." Greg gave her a bizzare look and grabbed his coco-puffs out of the cabinet. _I'm not sure whether I want to scream or do a happy-dance._ Ahmaryllis certainly was an...interesting character. _An interesting character with character quirks._ Greg mused on that thought until Ahmaryllis brought him back down to earth. "Are we going?"

"Ya, actually. Thanks for reminding me. Let's go." They went to his car and Greg drove them to the lab.

On the way there Ahmaryllis was quiet and stared out the window. Greg wondered what she was thinking and figured that he didn't really want to disturb her. He didn't know what to expect with this kid.

Ahmaryllis got increasingly nervous as they neared the lab. She didn't want them to run tests and find out about her and her secrets. She was also scared of all the people. After last night, the closest anyone had ever come to her was 3 feet. In the lab, she guessed that there would be people who would bump into her. People pressing in all around her. People everywhere...Ahmaryllis swallowed and distanced herself from that thought. Of course, the man last night had done unnatural things to her. On second thought, there might have been two men. She couldn't recall. All she remembered was the warmth, the hands and the breathing. Choking back a sob, Ahmaryllis immersed herself in looking at her shirt.

Of course, it was one of Greg's. Red, button-up t-shirt with white flowers. It was large on her but Ahmaryllis felt safe in the bagginess. This way no one could see her shape and want it. This way no one would care. Of course, the same couldn't be said for the pants. Yes, they hid her form, but they also fell down around her ankles. But thats' what God made belts for. Before Ahmaryllis could believe it, they were at the crime lab.

"Here we are. I'll show you around and...um, show you lab. I guess." Greg was nervous for some reason. He didn't know why, but it was frying his nerves. He mentally slapped himself and walked in. To him, it was routine. Sign in and try to avoid his boss while heading to the lab. For Ahmaryllis, it was borderlining on a nightmare.

All her senses were on high alert and she was running high on adrenaline. All the males seemed to look at her with lust in their eyes. They all moved closer to her as she followed Greg towards his lab. The instruments that they held in their hands were shifted around into pefect position to hit her. Long, slender tools were fingered with sick thoughts in mind. Soon, they would violate her. The flourescent lighting grew in intensity until they blinded her. All the voices and sounds became a muffled hum. The world spun and Ahmaryllis felt her knees give way. She slowly collapsed onto the ground. A pair of hands grabbed her and lifted her up. No voice could be heard through the blackness covering Ahmaryllis' thoughts but she felt herself being draped across someone's shoulders and taken somewhere. As she began slipping away, she felt herself being laid down on her back. A hand lifted her head up and cool liqiud was poured down her throat. Another hand brushed the hair off her face and tried to fan her down. Ahmaryllis simply let go of consciousness.

Catherine let the water trickle down Ahmaryllis' throat and sat back. Greg was stroking her hair. The damp persperation had began to disappear with the fan blowing. "Is she going to be alright? Or more importantly, what happened?" Greg asked. Catherine sighed and thought for a second.

"I think she got scared and the shock finally set in. You said that she was nervous in the car?"

"Somewhat. She wouldn't talk at all and stared out the window. I guess she was thinking because she suddenly turned away and began looking at her shirt."

Catherine nodded. "Over-active imagination. She must've imagined the worse-case scenario with everyone who walked past. Maybe she imagined every one of them raping her. I'm not sure but that's my theory."

Greg looked at the unconscious girl and reflected on the past couple minutes. He had heard ragged, harsh breathing coming from behind him. Turning around, he saw a pale-faced Ahmaryllis sink slowly to her knees. Grabbing her under her arms he threw her arm over his shoulder and brought her to the nearest room-the break room. Catherine was sitting there doing paper work and helped him lower Ahmaryllis onto the couch. Catherine grabbed a water bottle out of the fridge and, lifting the poor girl's head up, let the water slide down her throat. Catherine had instructed Greg to turn on the fan since Ahmaryllis was burning to the touch. Greg felt sorry for the kid. She got scared and passed out. He was just glad that she would be alright.

"Catherine, got anything for the case?" He asked suddenly.

"We do. There was semen on Ahmaryllis' sheets and we were waiting for you to run it. Plus there were epithilias all over the bodies. The only thing is, we think that they're from other family members. We collected finger prints from all the doors and bodies and they were the family members'. We need to find the murder weapon. Doc Robbins said that they died from either blunt force truama to the head, gunshot wounds or asphyxiation. In fact, the father died from the gun, the mother was blunt force truama, the oldest brother a gun and the youngest brother strangulation. There was a bullet hole in the father but nothing in the brother. The guys at ballistics are trying to figure what gun shot it but the make is pretty common. We're not even sure if the killers are from this area. We think that they may have been following the family because of all the moving that they've done. We won't know anything until Ahmaryllis wakes up."

"So I have my work cut out for me then. Semen, epithilias and the other evidence from the psycho granny case. I definately don't want her as my grandmother." Catherine let out a little chuckle. A grandmother had apparently robbed a grocery store and killed two clerks, one shopper and sent another to the hospital. She regained her composure.

"Greg, this case is top priority. Go work on it while Ahmaryllis is still here. It would upset her to see you working on a case involving her parents. I'll watch her." Greg stood up and with a last gance at Ahmaryllis, went to the lab.

Ten, twenty minutes passed until Ahmaryllis groaned and slowly opened her eyes. "Who are you?" she croaked. Catherine smiled softly.

"I'm Catherine Willows, CSI here at the lab. Greg just left to run some tests. Would you like anything?" Ahmaryllis shook her head.

"No, I'm fine. I-I just passed out. Um, actually, can I go to the washroom?" Ahmaryllis just needed a moment's privacy, and the washroom was the perfect place for that.

"Sure." Catherine said. "It's down the hall on your right."

"Thanks." said Ahmaryllis quietly. She got up and made her way to the door. There, she took a deep breath and began walking down the hall. _Left, right, left, right..._ the rhythm of her feet helped her to focus on walking in a straight line. Eventually, she reached the bathroom. Leaning on the cool ceramic of the sink, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Ahmaryllis was a wreak. Her hair was kind of mussed up, there were bags underneath her eyes and her skin was unnaturally pale. _I need coffee._ she thought.

Ahmaryllis turned on the water and splashed some on her face. The coolness revived her and she went into a stall and locked the door. Sitting down on the toilet seat, she wondered if she should reveal what she knew. It would certainly help the CSI's-especially Greg- solve the case but could they trust her after? Would they wonder what other secrets she had under her skin? Ahmaryllis let these questions and many others spin around in her brain before settling on her desicion. She walked out of the stall, out of the washroom and over to the reception.

"Hello, could you please get Catherine Willows for me? I need to talk to her about the ongoing case." The receptionist nodded and paged Catherine. To Ahmaryllis' surprise, not only Catherine came, but Nick and Grissom too.

"Ahmaryllis, what is it?" Catherine asked.

Ahmaryllis took a deep breath. "I have something important that I need to tell you. It's about the case and you should hear it." The three CSI's exchanged looks and led her to the interregation room. They sat her down and Grissom left, leaving Catherine, Nick and Ahmaryllis.

"This is a bit long, but it's very important. You see, when I was little..."

_**Oooh...cliffhanger...The next chapter is mostly Ahmaryllis' confession, but what is it? Stay tuned kiddies! I love reviews by the way...drop a line!**_


	4. Secrets of the past and present

**Chapter 4**

(A/N- whoo! chapter 4! Still looking for a Beta...but just a note, this story takes place in 2004. So it's almost Xmas 04. It just makes everything a bit more believable.)

"This is a bit long, but it's very important. You see, when I was little, my life was kinda complicated." Ahmaryllis took a long, shaky breath and continued.

"I was born in Germany. My parents weren't German, but they were on the run from some people. Dad was from Colombia and Mom was raised in Italy. She was adopted and didn't know her heritage and she didn't know who her real parents were. Mom said that Bruce and Marco were happy to have a little sister. They would walk around the neightbourhood with me in the carriage and announce that I was their little sister..." Ahmaryllis' eyes misted and she made a little half-smile, thinking of the past.

"I'm actually not nineteen, and my birthday isn't tomorrow. It's March 18. March 18 1982. Mom and Dad protected us from them...but they caught up in the end."

Nick exchanged glances with Catherine. Ahmaryllis was far from nineteen, she was almost twenty-three! The girl-or woman- was hiding alot of secrets.

"Ahmaryllis," Nick said gently, "Can you tell us everything, from the beginning?"

Ahmaryllis chuckled humourlessly. "From Adam and Eve, or from just before I was born? Alright, I'll tell you. Apparantly my parents did something to piss off a big gang in Italy. The gang said that they would kill my mom and dad. So they ran. Bruce, my older brother by, what is it? 6 years? Older by six years and a bit. He was born in Poland. They hid out there for a year until the gang caught up with them. So they ran to different countries for the next year or so. Then they had to stay low in a country for a couple of months. You see, Mom was pregnant again. Marco was born in some little hospital in Portugal. He almost died when he was a couple weeks old. Dad had set out a fake trail so the gang as looking all over the countries by the Mediteranean Sea."

"When Bruce was 3 and Marco just under a year, they were in Switzerland. They had been living there for a year, ever since Marco was born. My family was asleep in their home when the gang broke in. They almost killed Marco and Bruce ended up with a broken arm, nose and cheekbone. Mom and Dad fought them off and ran into the night. They decided that it wasn't safe any longer in Europe and moved to America. They adopted the name Smial and kept it wherever they went. Before I was born, they moved to about 4 different states. Then Mom got pregnant and had me in Missuori. After that, we only moved twice more. Bruce still had the scars from his face injuries and Marco, hearing about his near-death experiences, protected me with Bruce. They were my two best friends. We did everything together. I don't think anyone, even Mom and Dad, were closer than those two." she fell silent and smiled sadly, wishing for her two brothers to be back with her.

"Ahmaryllis, can you tell us exactly which countries and states your parents were in?" Catherine asked. Ahmaryllis nodded.

"I know most of them. They're Italy, Poland, Potugal, Switzerland, Ireland, Hungary, Russia, Greece, Germany and I think Czech Slovakia. There might be another one. There was also Missuori, Nevada, Montana, Iowa, New York and..." Ahmaryllis though for a second. "North Dakota. I can't tell you the cities. I don't remember."

"Can you tell us the birthdates of your brothers?" Nick calmly asked.

"Bruce was born on September 27 1975. He would've just turned 29. Marco was born April 3, 1978. He was 26 years old."

"Ahmaryllis, your birth certificate says that you're only 19. Care to explain?" Nick asked.

"You wouldn't really think that after years on the run, that my parents would put real information on our birth certificates from country to country? No, they gradually got us to play the part of younger children. I started school a year later than everyone else so when they were 4, I was 5. I skipped a year of school between moving states so I was two years ahead of everyone else.The same happened twice more. So I ended up being 4 years older than everyone in my class. Bruce played the part of a boy three years younger and Marco played a boy a year older then himself. My parents were smart people Mr. Stokes. They knew how to survive."

"Ahmaryllis," Catherine said tentatively, "There were four bodies at the crime scene." Ahmaryllis' face hardened but her eyes began watering. "We just got some information about the fourth body, the one we thought was Bruce." Ahmaryllis lifted a tear-stained face to Catherine. "The body wasn't Bruce's. It was one of the gang members. We don't know where Bruce is or if he is alive or not." There was a horrible, horrible silence in the room. Ahmaryllis was totally blank.

"Bruce isn't..." she trailed off. Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times. She was slowly registering the fact that one of her best friends may still be alive. Then reality hit.

She began crying for joy. She was laughing and shouting, but tears were running down her face. They were tears for Marco, who now lay in the morgue. But they were also for Bruce, who might be alive and healthy somewhere in Las Vegas. "Thank you!" She shouted. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" She ran from the room in the direction of the DNA lab, over the moon with joy. In her wake she left two shocked CSI's. CSI's with answers that could now start to piece together a puzzle.

"Greg!" Ahmaryllis cried. The lab tech turned around and was smothered by Ahmaryllis' hug. "He's alive! Greg, he's alive! Isn't it wonderful? He's still alive!" Greg was taken aback. This was the same girl who was scared to touch any male. Now she was hugging him? The issue of her rape story would be solved later...

"Ahmaryllis, who is alive? What happened?" Greg asked.

"Bruce! My brother! They thought he was dead but it was really a gang member and now Bruce is still alive and he could come for me! I'm so happy, Greg." she wiped tears away from her eyes.

"That's wonderful, Ahmy..."

A receptionist appeared at the doorway. "Ms. Smial? There's someone at the front who would like to see you." Ahmaryllis looked at Greg. Eyes shining brightly, she began to walk towards the front of the building.

(A/N-Who could it be? Is it Bruce? Or is it someone else? Only I know the answers...mwuahahaha. And you may have noticed Greg's nickname for Ahmaryllis, just though I'd add that. I'm in a lovey-dovey mood)


	5. Lost and Found

**(A/N-I'm very sorry about the delays. My life is a mess. The fic is almost over, only 2 or three more chapters. And Nick may be OOC. Never written him before. And...I'm not sure how US Child Services works, so I'm taking a stab at it. Enjoy!)**

Ahmaryllis stood up and went to the reception area. Standing there was a woman from Child Services.

"Excuse me, are you miss Ahmaryllis Smial?" she asked in that horrible voice careworkers use when they are about to take children away.

"Ya. What do you want?" Ahmaryllis said.

"We heard about the tragic demise of your family. Since you are only nineteen years old, we are putting you in a temporary foster care."

Ahmaryllis looked confused. "Isn't that only for kids who are under 16 or something?"

"Well, your case is very special. We saw that you had nowhere else to go, and that you might be distraught and unable to care for yourself. So we are putting you up with a family for a little while." the woman said.

"But I'm already living with someone. His name is Greg Sanders. I'll be fine." Greg put a hand on Ahmaryllis' shoulder.

"You see miss Smial, he is not your legal guardian-"

"You're not my fuckin' legal gaurdian either, bitch. I'm not going." Ahmaryllis walked backwards from the woman. "Get the fuck away from me." She turned and stalked to the breakroom. She was joined a moment later by Greg. He sat down beside her.

"Why didn't you tell her that you were almost twenty-three?"

"Because she would've checked my birth certificate and seen that I was nineteen, then checked my background and found all the different ones. It would've been confusing. Too many lawyers and confessions. I'd rather stay nineteen."

"You could have gone with her anyways. You can't live with me forever."

"I know. I need somewhere to start up again. I don't know what I'm going to do."

Greg put a reassuring hand on her knee, but Ahmaryllis pulled away. She was still sensitive about men touching her, even if it was Greg who meant to harm. There was silence for a moment, then Greg got up. "I have some stuff to do. You can help me in the lab if you want."

"No thanks. I'll stay here." Ahmaryllis said quietly. Greg gave her a worried look and went to the DNA lab. When he was gone, Ahmaryllis sank down on the couch. She cried silently; cried for her family, cried for all the others who had died at the hands of the mob, cried for herself and cried for Greg who cared for her so much, care that she could probably never give back. No one came back into the break room, so Ahmaryllis cried herself to sleep.

When she awoke, it was noon. Ahmaryllis stood up and went to look for some food. She was rummaging through the cupboards when a voice said,

"Excuse me, can I help you?" Ahmaryllis spun around. Standing in the doorway was a young man that she did not know.

"You are you?" She asked.

"That's none of your business." The man's voice took on a nasty edge. "Now why don't you go to the reception area and ask someone who you're looking for. You're not supposed to be back here."

Ahmaryllis began to get frightened. "Where's Greg and Sara and Nick? Where are they?"

"Oh, you mean the night shift? They left a long time ago. It's the day shift now."

Ahmaryllis began to hyperventilate. She was in a building, surrounded by people she didn't know. "I have to get out of here." She said. "Oh god, oh god."

The man stepped away from the door and Ahmaryllis bolted for it. She ran through the halls and out the front doors. She looked around for Greg's car. It wasn't there. She ran in the general direction of where he lived, but she had no idea where exactly that was.

She wandered around for a little while, panic-stricken, before recognizing where she was. After walking down a couple more streets, she found one of her old haunts. It was behind a Quickie, just behind the dumpster. She moved it a little bit, revealing a small cubby hole. There, she could pass as homeless. Ahmaryllis had a clear view of the street and all the cars going past, but it would be hard for them to see her in the shadows. She found some expired twinkies and a Powerade with a broken seal. She spent at least four hours there, drawing absently on some paper that she had left there for when she needed to get away from life.

The cubby behind the dumpster had been her favorite spot since she moved to Vegas. There, the whole world disappeared. It was only her and the wall. Surrounded by her thoughts, Ahmaryllis had sometimes spent the whole day there.

She looked up and saw that the sun was slowly beginning to sink towards the horizon. She watched it and admired the colour changes that it made. She crawled out from behind the dumpster and leant against it. She simply sat there and let the colours play across her face until someone came running up to her.

"Ahmaryllis! Ahmaryllis!" They shouted. She looked up and saw that it was Nick. "We've been looking for you for at least 5 hours. Greg's worried about you. Come on. I'll get you back to the lab. Shift is about to start."

Ahmaryllis moved away. "Just drop me off at Greg's house. I'll call his cell from there." Nick nodded and they got in the car. Twenty minutes later, Nick dropped her off with a house key. "Bye." she said. He waved back as he backed out of the driveway. Ahmaryllis stepped inside.

The first thing she did was call Greg. Unfortunately, it came up as his answering machine. She said that she was at his palce and that she was alright. He would get the message. Ahmaryllis put the phone back, but took it off the hook after a moment. She didn't want any calls.

Ahmaryllis ordered a pizza for herself and sat down at the computer. She opened the internet browser and went to the superpages site. She searched for the last name Smial. The only thing that came up was her old house, which no longer existed. She went back to the home page and searched for Bruce Smial. A couple of hits came up and she checked them out. The pizza soon arrived and Ahmaryllis paid for it with a wad of Greg's money. She sat down again at the computer and continued to search. Several hours later, she had narrowed the search for her brother down to a couple of phone numbers. An hour later, there were only two. Ahmaryllis picked up the phone. If one of these was right, she would soon see her brother again.

She slowly dialed the first number. The phone rang a couple of times. A woman picked up. "Waddya want?" She asked in a high, nasal voice.

"Is Bruce there?"

"I don't know no Bruce. If this is a prank call, I'll track ya down and you'll wish that ya neva'-" Ahmaryllis hung up. He wasn'tthere, so she didn't need to listen to a woman rant. She dialed the second number, hoping against all hope that this was the right one. The phone rang six or seven times, and she thought that no one was home. Then someonedid pick up.

"Hello. Bruce speaking." The deep voice of her brother floated through the receiver.

"Bruce? It's Ahmy."


End file.
